Observation — 1977, Changes in China And India

The Gang of Four was expelled from China. Deng Xiaoping returned to power.  The Episcopal Church ordained a woman.   Serial Killer Ted Bundy escaped from jail. Ernie Banks was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.  The neutron bomb became real. It snowed in Miami.  Anita Bryant headed a highly publicized anti-gay crusade in Florida. “Roots” was a major hit on TV. Star Wars stunned audiences in movie theaters. A.J. Foyt won his fourth Indianapolis 500. Indira Gandi resigned as India’s leader.  An earthquake in Romania killed more than 1,000. Among the notables who passed away in 1977 were such giants as Elvis Presley, Maria Callas, Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Bing Crosby, Zero Mostel, Ethel Waters and Vladimir Nabokov. Not so well known, but should be:  Sebastian Cabot, Richard Carlson and Andy Devine.  Fewer arrived than departed. Count Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom and Jonathan Rhys Meyers among the 1977 births.  Aside from Star Wars, Saturday Night Live, Annie Hall, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Smokey the Bandit and The Spy Who Loved Me appeared on the silver screen.  In books Falconer by John Cheever, The Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, The Thorn Birds by Coleen McCullough and Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien were deemed best books. The Mystery Writers of America gave its top prize, The Edgar for the year’s best mystery to Robert B. Parker’s Promised Land. The radio — The Walkman was still a year away — had the following on their playlists: Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s The Night,” I Just Want to Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb, “Best of My Love” by The Emotions, “Evergreen” by Barbra Streisand, “Don’t leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston and “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher” by Rita Coolidge.  If you were around, what were you doing during this year of the fire dragon?